1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to postage indicia, postage sheets containing postage indicia, a method and system of providing postage indicia, and a method of printing postage indicia.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Purchasing postage indicia (e.g., postage stamps) through the internet is increasingly used as a way to obtain postage without a trip to the local post office or local store. This allows a consumer to print postage at the comfort of the consumer's home or office. For example, in the United States, various internet postage providers operating under the approval of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) sell various forms of internet postage. Typically, the consumer purchases from a stationary supplier or from the internet postage provider items and supplies for mailing and shipping needs including a sheet of adhesive mailing labels or postage labels. The consumer then uses a personal computer to access the internet postage provider to purchase postage. Upon receiving payment from the consumer or user, the internet postage provider sends data back to the personal computer of the user allowing the user to print the postage indicia using a ubiquitous personal printer, such as an inkjet or laser printer, connected to the personal computer.
However, the postage label must conform with many specifications including security and authenticity of postage labels set by the USPS before permitting the use of the internet postage indicia in a mailing piece that can be delivered via the postal service. For example, the USPS may require that certain codes, marks or the like be printed in a predetermined configuration on the postage label. Therefore, the orientation or way of feeding postage label sheets into the printer may be critical. This is especially true when printing an entire sheet of postage labels. Indeed, a misprint of the postage indicia in the postage sheet may cost the consumer money or the hassle of requesting a reimbursement by submitting a proof of a misprint.
In addition, printing postage indicia can be subject to potential theft associated with customers manufacturing of their own postage label sheet on which to print postage indicia (for example using desktop printing) thereby bypassing the internet postage provider and thus depriving the internet postage provider from revenue associated with the purchase of the postage label sheets. Furthermore, printing postage indicia can also be subject to theft associated with customers creating their own postage using sheets purchased from the internet postage provider by printing fake indicia imitating real postage indicia thus potentially depriving the postal service and the internet postage provider from revenue associated with the purchase of postage indicia through the internet postage provider.
The present invention addresses various issues relating to the above.